Legislative Update

·         H.R. 1139 - a bill to make child care more affordable for working families and for stay-at-home parents with children under the age of one, to double the number of children receiving child care assistance, to provide for after school care, and to provide child care safety and quality and enhance early childhood development.
Latest major action: 4/16/99.  Referred to House subcommittees

·         S. 208 - a bill to enhance family life.  This Act may be cited as the "Enhancing Family Life Act of 1999", introduced by Senator Patrick Moynihan in January 1999 at the 106th Congress, 1st session.
Latest major action: 1/19/99.  Referred to Senate Committee

·         S. 1069 - a bill to promote economic security and safety for battered women, and for other purposes.  This Act may be cited as the "Battered Women's Economic Security and Safety Act"
Latest major action taken: 5/18/99 Referred to Senate Committee

·         H.R. 2104 - To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to permit leave to care for a domestic partner, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, or grandparent, if the domestic partner, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, or grandparent has a serious health condition.
Latest major action taken: 7/2/99 Referred to House Subcommittee

• Congress approved two of three key elements of debt relief for the world's poorest countries:
  Approved: Debts owed by heavily-indebted poor countries of the U.S. government (bilateral debt) will be forgiven, subject to certain economic and social reforms.
  Approved:  Authority to use existing resources of multilateral institutions (e.g. IMF, World Bank) for debt relief was granted.

Church position: "...many dioceses and parishes have been deeply engaged in this issue in response to the Holy Father's call for substantial debt forgiveness on the occasion of the Great Jubilee, and in an effort to live out the commitments made in the synod of the Americas and to be in solidarity with the Church in the developing world.  We seek debt relief, not for its own sake, but in order to alleviate poverty in the poorest countries." (Bernard Cardinal Law, Chair, International Policy Committee, NCCB)

(Source: Archdiocesan Legislative Network – Federal Alert March 2000)